This exhibition brings together a series of works by Ekatherina Savtchenko and Elisabeth Skogland exploring the figures of Jesus Christ and Persephone and the archetypal theme of the Union of Opposites. At its centre are two paintings — "Christ" and "Persephone" — which were sent into the stratosphere aboard hydrogen balloons. Their journeys towards the cosmos were filmed in their entirety, resulting in two extraordinary films that physically re-enact the Ascension of these two figures. After the balloons burst at high altitude, parachutes carried the paintings safely back to Earth.

The conceptual framework of the exhibition draws upon the work of Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung and his concept of the collective unconscious: a universal repository of archetypes, symbols and primordial images shared across human cultures. Although Jesus Christ and the Greek goddess Persephone belong to different traditions and historical contexts, their stories reveal strikingly similar archetypal structures. Bringing these two figures into dialogue allows the exhibition to explore what their myths can reveal about the human psyche and our shared experience.

Both Christ and Persephone undergo a descent into the underworld followed by an ascent towards the heavens. Their journeys can be understood as metaphors for the path towards wholeness. The descent evokes the dark night of the soul — the confrontation with fear, doubt and the obscure dimensions of the self — while the Ascension marks a passage beyond darkness: transformation, renewal and the integration of opposing forces into a more complete and conscious self.

By sending the paintings physically towards the heavens, the project transforms this ancient symbolic journey into a contemporary artistic action. Earth and sky, descent and ascent, death and rebirth, the sacred and the material are brought together through an event in which mythology, theology and the physical realm converge.

Paris - Hôtel de l'Industrie 75006 - April 2023

Paris - Colombian Consulate 75008 - April 2023

New York City - Spring Street, Soho - May / June 2023

The Hague - Alliance Française de La Haye - April 2024

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